Idrissa Gueye along with Keane on target as Everton defeat the Cottagers

David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.